Research Catalog

Title

Early Charlie Chaplin : the artist as apprentice at Keystone Studios / James L. Neibaur.

Author

Neibaur, James L., 1958-

Publication

Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Press, 2012.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Description

xi, 237 p. : ill.; 24 cm.

Summary

Charlie Chaplin produced some of the greatest films of all time, including The Gold Rush, The Circus, City Lights, Modern Times, and The Great Dictator. Before making a name for himself as an undisputed master of cinema, however, Chaplin first developed his acting, writing, and directing skills at Keystone Studios. Mack Sennett, who attended one of Chaplin's music hall shows, thought the entertainer would be a good fit at his newly established studio, where they specialized in the roughhouse slapstick Chaplin performed on stage. Intrigued with the idea of preserving comedy on film, Chaplin began work for Sennett in 1913. While some of the first efforts were crudely filmed, they allowed Chaplin to understand the rudiments of performing for the camera. As he became more interested in directing his own films, Chaplin learned techniques that set his work apart from other comedies. The films Chaplin made at Keystone were the catalyst for a significant motion picture career, and a character that he would create and develop at the studio would become among the most iconic images in the history of entertainment. In Early Charlie Chaplin: The Artist as Apprentice at Keystone Studios, James Neibaur examines each of these films, assessing the important early work of a comedian who became a timeless icon. From his debut as a fast talking con man in Making a Living to his role in the six-reel Marie Dressler vehicle, Tillie's Punctured Romance, Chaplin displays many of the characteristics that would endear him to audiences around the world. The majority of these films have been made available on DVD, allowing the reader to appreciate the background behind these works. Early Charlie Chaplin is a must, not only for fans of silent cinema and Chaplin, but for anyone who appreciates film history.

Subject

• Chaplin, Charlie, 1889-1977 > Criticism and interpretation
• Keystone Film Company

Genre/Form

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references and index.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

Introduction -- Charlie Chaplin's early years -- Mack Sennett and the Keystone Studios -- Chaplin's Keystone films -- Making a living -- Kid auto races at Venice, Cal -- Mabel's strange predicament -- A thief catcher -- Between showers -- A film Johnnie -- Tango tangles -- His favorite pastime -- Cruel cruel love -- The star boarder -- Mabel at the wheel -- Minutes of love -- Caught in a cabaret -- Caught in the rain -- A busy day -- The fatal mallet -- Her friend the bandit -- The knockout -- Mabel's busy day -- Mabel's married life -- Laughing gas -- The property man -- Face on the bar room floor -- Recreation -- The masquerader -- His new profession -- The rounders -- The new janitor -- Those love pangs -- Dough and dynamite -- Gentlemen of nerve -- His musical career -- His trysting places -- Getting acquainted -- His prehistoric past -- Tillie's punctured romance -- Chaplin after Keystone.

ISBN

• 9780810882423 (hardback : alk. paper)
• 0810882426 (hardback : alk. paper)
• 9780810882430 (ebook)
• 0810882434 (ebook)

LCCN

^^2011041145

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library